Fuse mechanism



Febo M, 3928 M, J. SANDIN FUSE MECHANISM Filed Jan. 23, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 1 E v 25v///\ INVENTOR Mawiis J. arzdin.

WITNESSES: flfi M.

ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1928. 1,658,935

M. J, SANDIN FUSE MECHANISM FiledJan. 23. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 3 MaOPifs J. andin.

M. .J. SANDIN FUSE MECHANISM Filed Jan. 23, 1923 3 Sheets-Sh t 3 INVENTOR Maurizs J Safldin.

WITNESSES:

/' ATITORNEY f atentedl Feb, M, 19289 Uhllll STATES ATENT FIE,

MAURITS J. SANDIN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WE$TING- HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

FUSE MECHANIS M.

Application filed January 23, 1923. Serial No. 614,380.

My invention relates to fuse mechanism and particularly to enclosed expulsion-fuse mechanism for outdoor installations.

In my copending application Serial No. 510,280, filed October 25, 19:21, I have shown an enclosed expulsion-fuse mechanism, the general characteristics of which are similar to the present construction.

@ne object of my invention is to provide an enclosed expulsion-fuse construction that is effective to interrupt electric circuits un der abnormal conditions and which is particularly adapted for use in high-potential circuits where operating conditions are such that a very rugged construction is necessary to withstand the high pressures incident to the interruption of a high-potential circuit under shortscircuit or severe overloadconditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide an enclosed expulsion fuse wherein the conductor bushings which serve to support the end of the conductors within the fuse housing are provided with fuse clips or receptacles for receiving the terminals of an open-end expulsion fuse.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fuse housing with an insulating bottom wall having an opening alined with the open end of the expulsion fuse cartridge through which the gases expelled from the fuse cartridge are directed to the atmosphere, and which expands in diameter from the inside toward the exterior of the housing in orderito permit of free passage of, the gases.

Another object of my invention is to provide an enclosed expulsion fuse wherein the door closing the fuse housing and which carries the cartrithrc is provided with detachable hinges by means of which the door may be hinged for rotary movement and detach, if desired, from the housing only when the door is in substan" ily full-open posi- "ion, thus insuring th s, all members carried the door shall be c of contact with live i be detached.

pastel. cover that clung the housing revrded with a u e is an on. the

ride a housing with serves as a bracket fo m-vention is to prodoor for holding the door in closed, position.

..Another object of my invention is to provide an enclosed expulsion-fuse mechanism wherein a. barrier is placed across the interior of the housing for preventing the gases expelled from the fuse cartridge from forming an are between the fuse terminals and wherein the insulating fuse-supporting base carried by the door is provided with a flange that co-operates with the barrier and entirely separates the upper and lower parts of the housing containing the fuse terminals.

Another object of my invention is to provide an enclosed expulsion fuse wherein the parts constituting the mechanism are inexpensive to manufacture and may readily be inspected or replaced.

These and other objects, that will be made apparent throughout the further descriptron of my invention, are attained by means of the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevational view of the enclosed expulsion-fuse mechanism, showing a portion of the side wall thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the housing and associated mechanism, showing the bottom wall and the top wall in vertical section;

3 is a plan view of one of the con ductor bushings shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

Pg. 4 is a perspective view of a fuse-supporting clip, and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a modified form of the device showing the barrier located beneath the lower fuse terminal.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a housing 5 having wooden side walls '6 and-i", a rear wall 8 a metal top wall 9 and a molded insulating bottom wall ll. In order to withstand the high pressures ncidcnt to the rupture of an expulsion fuse, it is necessary to fasten the walls of the housing securely together.

Bolts 12 and 13 extend through wall 8 from one edge to the other anehe metal vided with depending flanges 14 that extend from the rear to the front of the housing and through which the bolt 13 extends. The flanges 14 serve to reinforce the side walls 6 and 7.

In addition to the metal top wall 9, a

wooden wall 15 is disposed between the and flanges 14 and is held in position by a bolt 16 that extends through the flanges 14 and entirely through the top wall 15, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The top wall 9 is provided with a rear ex tension having" a downwardly extending flange 17 which is provided with perforations 18- by means of which the housing may be bolted to the cross arm of a pole. The front portion'of the'top wall 9 extends beyond the front of the housing and provides a shelter for the front of the housing.

The side walls 6 and 7 are provided with grooves 19 into which flanges 21 ot' the insulating bottom wall 11 are fitted and the bottom wall is held in position thereby. A bolt 22 extends through the side walls and clamps the front edges thereof to the bottom wall. Spacing sleeves 23 are mounted on the ends of the bolts outside the side walls and constitute a shaft upon which the wooden door 24 is hinge A metal strap 25 is bolted to the lower end of the door which is provided with rearwardly extending flanges 26 having notches 27 therein of the shape indicated in Fig. 1. A portion of the flanges 26 extends around the rear side of the sleeve 23 and retains the door in operative position.

When the door is moved to a horizontal position, it may be detached from the housing by a combined outward and-upward movement. However, when the door is in intermediate positions between full-open position and closed position, the lower inclined end 24 of the door engages the rounded corners 28 of the side walls which prevents detaching movement of the door. It will be seen that the door must be moved substantially to full-open position before it may be detached. and, therefore, the fuse which is carried by the door, in a manner to be hereinafter described. is disengaged from all live members before it is l'nade accessible.

The side walls (3 and 7 are provided with inclined openings 29 and 31, respectively, into which conductoninsulating bushings 32 33, respectively, are inserted. as indicated in the drawings. The bushings are identical in constrm'tion and comprise a rylindrieal body portion 34 having a perforation 35 extending longitudinally thereof through which the circuit conductors 48 extend into the housing. The flange 36 on the bushing" engages the outer surface of the side wall and is retained in operative relation thereto by a bolt 37 that extends through the flange 36 and the side wall of the housing.

in order that the bushings may readily be are secured by means of bolts 44 that extend through the central portion of the clips and the extensions 39 and 41. .The clips 42 and 43 are of U-shape and are-connected to terminal members 45 having clamp members 46 adjustably secured thereto by screws 47. The bare end of the conductor 48 is clamped between the clamp member 46 and-the terminal member 45when the screws 47 are tightened. The bolt 44 serves to support both the fuse clips and the terminal members 45 in operative positions .upon the bushings. l

The clips or' receptacles 42 and 43 are alined one above the other for receiving the terminal members 49 and 51 ot' the expulsion-fuse cartridge 52. The expulsion-fuse cartridge comprises an insulating tube 52 open at one end and having a terminal 49 "that constitutes-the end ferrule of the cartridge which is closed by a threaded nut 53.

An attaching clip 54, shown in Fig. 4

. serves to secure the fuse cartridge to the insulatingfuse block 55 which, in turn, is'secured to the door 24 by a bolt 56. The clip 54 is made of sheet metal and is provided with a flange 57 having a perforation 58 which fits over the threaded sleeve 59 of the terminal 49. The nut 53 securely clamps the supporting clip 54 to the terminal.

The clip 54 is also provided with two wings 61 which straddle the fuse block 55 and are secured thereto by a cotter pin 02 which extends through the block and through perforations 63 in the wings 61. The sup- "porting clip 54 is further provided with a flange 64 that is bent along the inner'cnd of? the terminal 49 and supplements the flange 57 for preventing lon itudinal displacement of the fuse cartridge with respect to the supporting clip.

The terminal 51 is made of sheet metal havingtwo Wings that straddiethe insulating block 55 and ar clamped to the fuse block 55 by a cotter pin 65 that extends through the blocl-x and perforations 66 in the wings of the terminal 51. The terminal 51 loosely retains the lower end of the fuse cartridge operative position in alinement with an expanding opening 67 in the insu lating bottom wall 11. The terminal51is provided with a binding screw 68 for attache ing the exterior-i extending terminal'of the fuse strip 69 to the terminal 51.

order to replace a fuse strip within the fuse cartridge. the door is firstmoved to full-open position wherein it may be detached from the housing for the purpose of facilitating removal of the fuse strip, or the fuse cartridge may be detached for the purpose of inspection or repair .while the door is in open position while suspended from the housing. The fuse cartridge is detached by removing the cotter pins (52 and and then sliding the fuse cartridge longitudinally of the fuse base until the open end thereof clears the terminal 51. It is unnecessary to detach the fuse cartridge in order to renew the fuse strip.

The fusecartridge is so positioned on the door that, when the door is moved to closed position, the open end of the cartridge projects into the expanding opening 67 in the base, as indicated in Fig. 1. The terminal 49 of the fuse cartridge and the terminal 51 of the fuse base are so positioned on the insulating base that they enter the clips 42 and 43 when the door is moved to closed position. The sliding action of the terminals within the clips insures clean contact surfaces and good conductive engagement.

The door 24 is provided, adjacent its free end. with a metal strap 71 having end flanges 72 that are bent over the edges of the Wooden door. The strap serves to reinforce the free endof the door and is secured thereto by means of a bolt 73 that extends from one edge of the door to theother. A metal handle 'M is pivoted to the strap 71 by means of a rivet 75 and the outer end of the handle is provided with a bent latch portion 76 that is capable of limited amount of deflection.

The metal top wall 9 is provided with a recess 77 that is pressed therein for receivingthe yielding end of the latch 76 when the handle '74 is in verticalposit-ion: When the handle is moved within the recess by a rotary movement. the latch 76 is deflected and yieldingly clamps the door in closed position. In order to release the door, the handle is moved to ana'ngle of 45 with respect to the vertical. in which position the latch 76 clears the recess 77. The door may then be swung downwardly to full-open position. thereby exposing the terminals within the housing and the fuse for inspection and replacement.

The rugged construct-ion renders the lionsing capable'of withstanding repeated explosions of the fuse without injury. The gases incidentto the rupturing of the fuse are prevented from expanding upwardly into the upper part of the housing by an insulating barrier 78 that is supported in grooves 79 in the housing at a point between the receptacles 42 and 43. The barrier is pro vided with a notch 81 for receiving the fuse cartridge 52 and the insulating fuse block 55.

. thereon,

. T he space between the edges of the slot 81 and the fuse cartridge and base is closed by means of a flange 82 that is integral with the insulating fuse block 55 and engages the upper surface of the barrier 78 when the door is in closed position.

It is apparent, therefore, that gases are prevented from coming into contact with the upper receptacle 42, thereby preventing the formation of an are between the receptacles 4-2 and 43. The barrier 78 may be located at other points within the housing, for instance. at a point below the lower receptacle 43 as shown in Fig. 5. In such position, gases are prevented from coming into contact with the lower receptacle 4-3.

While I have illustrated and described but one embodiment of my invention. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that anions changes, modifications. substitutions. additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention,

as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in an enclosed fuse device having a housing for the fuse. a perforate insulating bushing for a conductor extending through a wall of the housing and through which the conductor extends. and provided witha flange for engaging the wall of the housing having means thereon engaging a recess in the said wall for preventing rotary movement of the bushing. means for clamping the flange to the wall of the housing. and a receptacle for the fusc mounted upon the bushing.

2. In fuse mechanism, a housing, perforate insulating conductor bushings extending into the housing through openings in the side Walls thereof and through which tlnconductors extend, and having integral ortensions thereon, fuse receptacles mounted upon the extensions for receiving and supporting a fuse and clamps on the receptacles for engaging the conductor.

3. In fuse mechanism, a housing. a pair of similar insulating bushings extending into the housing through openings in opposite Walls thereof, a pair of similar fuse clip terminals, one mounted on each of the hushings but on opposite sides thereof. and the bushings ceiving the terminals of a fuse.

4. The combination with an enclosed fuse mechanism comprising a housing having fuse clips mounted therein and a door l ar-1; ing a fuse cartridge deta'ehably mounted? of a means for detachably hingingjj to the housing for permittiugwle T the door 7 achment of the door; only when the latter is in substantially open position.

5, A fuse housing having side and bott m being disposed in such manner that the fuse clip ternnnals are aligned for re-= Walls, a door for closing one side of the housing hinged adjacent the bottom Wall and ametal cover for the housing having an integral bracket at one end for attaching the housing to a support and a depression adjacent the free end of the'door, and a latch pivoted to the door for engaging the depression in the cover and for retaining the door in closed position.

6. A fuse housing having side and bottom walls. a Wooden door for closing one side of the housing hinged adjacent the bottom Wall, a metal cover for the-housing having a recess therein, a reinforcing bolt extending through thedoor from one edge thereof to the other, a reinforcing strap extending across thedoorandretained in position by the said bolt, and a latch pivoted to the said masses strap for engaging the said recess and retainmg the door in closed position.

7. An expulsion fuse comprising a tubular casing open atone end only for the expulsion of arc gases, a fuse member extending through the casing, a'pair of terminal members for the fuse member, a housing for enclosing the casing and terminals and open at the end adjacent the open end of the casing and a transverse barrier Within the housing and surrounding the casing at a point between the open end thereof and the said terminals.

In testimony "whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of January, 1923.

MAiiRITs SANDIN. 

